License-plate for motor-vehicles.



S. S. ADAMS.

LICENSE PLATE FOR MOTOR VEHICLES.

APPLIoATIoN FILED AUG. 4. 191s.

1,092,887. Patented Apr.14 .,1914.

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STEPHEN S. ADAMS, 0F ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

LICENSE-PLATE FDR MOTOR-VEHICLES.

Speieation of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 4, 1913. Serial No. 782,894.

Patenten apr.. ia, ieri.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, STEPHEN S. ADAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in- License-Plates for Motor-Vehicles, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the saine, ieference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Y Figure l is a front elevational view of a license plate of my improved construction, the saine being shown applied to the radiator of a motor vehicle. Fig. 2 is an enlarged horizontal section take-n approximately on the `3line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig` 3 is an enlargedthe license plate.

vertical section taken approximately on the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in license plates particularly` intended for use on motor vehicles, the principal object of my invention being to provide a plate with slots or elongated openings between the numbers appearing on the face of the plate in order to permit ailto pass through the plate and iinpiiige against and exert a cooling elfect upon that portionof the radiator which is immediately behind Further objects of my invention are to provide a comparatively simple, inexpensive license plate with openings arranged so that they' do not extend into or through any portion ofthe faces of the numbers on said plate, which faces are, of course, distinctively colored with respect to the color of the main portion of the license. plate, and further, to produce a license plate which, while slotted, has the requisite rigidity, which result is attained by bending the edges of the metal adjacent to the slots. or openings rearwardly to forni stiiiiening ribs or flanges.

'To the above purposes my invention consists in certain novel features of construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter 4more fully described and claimed. l

My improved plate comprises a rectangular section l() preferably of sheet metal, the edges of which are beiit over onto the main body of the plate, or beaded to forni a inarginal reinforcement as designated by l1.

The numbers 12 appearing on the face of the plate are preferably formed by einbossing or pressing up portions of the plate the same being shaped so as to fo-rin said numbers. Such embossing materially stiffens the plate and adds rigidity thereto, although, if desired, the platemay be made perfectly flat and the numbers can be painted or lithographed on the face ofv said plate in a color distinctive from the color of the back gro-und.

Formed between the numbers on the plate are vertically disposed slots 13 which in length approximate the height of the numbers, and the edges of the plate immediately adJacent to these openings are bent rearward as designated by 14 in order to form st-ilfening and reinforcing ribs on the rear sides of the plate.

Where the numbers are embossed on the plate, the outer faces of the embossed por- -tions are distinctively colored with vrespect to the face of the main body portion of the plate, and thus the numbers are readily readable at a considerable distance. Ordinarily, license plates are made imperforate, and such construction cuts off the impingement of air from a considerable area on a radiatorv of a vehicle when said plate is applied thereto, but by my improved construction of slotting the plate, air will pass through the slots or openings and impinge against that portion of the radiator tothe rear of the plate and exert a cooling effect thereon.

I have demonstrated that by providing slots or openings between the numbers of y the plate, said numbers, when viewed from a distance, are more clearly defined, and thatthey can be read at greater distance than where the colored back ground is continuous between said numbers. I attribute this result to the fact that the vertical slots between the numbers form darkened division lines which when the plate is viewed from a distance tend to more clearly define or set forth the numbers.` The openings or slots are formed wholly in that portion of a plate wliic-h forms the back ground, and consequently, the faces of said numbers are not cut into or reduced in area. The edges of the plate adjacent to the openings arebent rearwardly to form stiifening ribs, and such construction combined with the embossing or pressing forward of the numbers between the openings materially reinforces the plate and adds rigidity thereto.

It Will be readily understood that minor changes in the-size, form and construction of the various parts of my improved license plate can be made and substituted for those herein shown and described, Without departing from the spirit of my invention, the scope of which is set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

l. A license plate for motor vehicles and the like, having a series of openings arranged between the numbers appearing on the face of said plate, and the edges of the material of which said plate is formed adjacent to said openings being bent rearwardly to form stiffening ribs on said plate.

2. A license plate for motor vehicles and the like, having numbers on ite face, Which numbers are distinctively colored with respect, to the back ground on the face of said plate,'and there being slots formed through the plate between the numbers appearing on Maase? respect to the face of the main body portion of said plate, there being vertically disposed slots formed through the plate, which slots are, in length, equal to the height of the numbers and the edges of said plate adjacent to said slots being bent rearwardly to form stiffening ribs.

In testimony whereof l hereunto aiiix my signature in the presence of two witnesses, this 30th day of July, 1913.

STEPHEN S. ADAMS.

Witnesses M. P. SMITH, M. A. HANDEL. 

